Gaming has become one of the most popular and lucrative genres on YouTube thanks to talented creators that produce tons of content for their dedicated fans. The most popular among these gaming influencers have been churning out videos for years while fine-tuning their style and finding their niche.
According to the YouTube Official Blog, there are now over 40 million active gaming channels, generating over 100 billion watch time hours in 2020. In fact, even celebrities are starting gaming YouTube channels. With so many gaming channels out there, it takes great timing, witty humor, hard work, and a dedicated fanbase to stand out – the YouTubers who have managed to nail all of these tend to have the most subscribers today.
VanossGaming – 25.5M
The man behind the massively popular VannossGaming channel is Evan Fong, a Canadian YouTuber who focuses on games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto. He’s best known for his collaboration with other content creators who often appear alongside him in his video game commentaries.
Evan’s hilarious commentaries with popular YouTubers like H2ODelirious and Ohmwrecker became his channel’s signature ever since he started uploading videos in 2011. VanossGaming fans undoubtedly feel like they’re gaming with a fun group of friends when they watch Evan’s videos. It helps that he’s actually a skilled gamer, too.
Mikecrack – 26.9M
Based in Spain, Mikecrack started his channel back in 2015. He spends a lot of time making content about Minecraft, Fortnite, Free Fire, and Roblox. While he occasionally shows his face on his channel, viewers mostly see him through an animated dog that he superimposes on his character’s face whenever he uploads gameplay videos.
He spends a lot of time exploring Minecraft’s many caves and cliffs and always makes an effort to make jokes to keep viewers entertained. What makes Mikecrack's channel so memorable is his dog character, who is also named Mike. The animated canine looks like a cuter version of Jake from Adventure Time but talks with the excitement of a young gamer who’s just happy to be playing his favorite games.
Total Gaming – 27.1M
The voice behind the now popular channel, Total Gaming, is Ajay from India. His channel is relatively new, only becoming active in late 2018. He makes content about Free Fire, Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG, and Grand Theft Auto V.
With almost 1,500 videos uploaded to date, Ajay has a ton of content for viewers to choose from. He has a good mix of live streams, tips and tricks, and shorts that keep his content interesting. On any given week, Ajay seems to upload between ten to fifteen videos, and the hard work has clearly paid off.
Jacksepticeye – 27.3M
Irish YouTuber Sean William McLoughlin starts all of his videos with the same line: "Top of the mornin' to ya laddies! My name is Jacksepticeye!" He maintains his high energy and excitement throughout his videos, which are often commentary-style gameplay content.
He started uploading videos right when gaming influencers were becoming especially popular back in 2012. This was great timing on his part, and he’s worked to maintain the momentum by uploading consistently and leaning on his charming personality to create a solid fanbase. Jacksepticeye does an excellent job of doing deep dives on popular games like the entire Resident Evil franchise and Among Us, taking his fans along for the often hilarious ride.
Markiplier – 29.8M
Hawaiian-born Mark Edward Fischbach started his YouTube channel in 2012. He’s known for his love for horror games, charity live streams, and collaborations with other popular content creators.
Markiplier’s Let’s Play-style videos have the hallmarks of great gaming content that fans know and love. His humor, authenticity, and impressive gaming skills always shine through in his videos. Fans can also quickly recognize Mark’s content through his signature pink mustache that he’s kept part of his branding throughout the years.
VEGETTA777 – 32.6M
Spanish YouTuber, Samuel De Luque, also known as VEGETTA777, started his gaming channel way back in 2008. He covers popular games like Minecraft, Saint’s Row, and Battlefield, often focusing more on RPGs that suit his unique way of describing a game.
Aside from his collaborations with other popular gamers based in Spain like Alexby and Staxxcraft, what makes Samuel so popular is his narrative style. He enjoys RPGs because he can tell their story in a dramatic, often humorous way, making viewers feel like they’re watching a highly entertaining movie.
elrubiusOMG – 40M
Rubén Doblas Gundersen, better known as El Rubius, has been creating content for his successful gaming channel, elrubiusOMG since 2011. He’s popular for his coverage of the best Fortnite collaborations, skins, events, and more. He even has live events dedicated specifically to the game, which attracts thousands of viewers every month.
El Rubius is also known for his vlog-style content, where he gives fans a glimpse into his personal life. This makes viewers feel closer to him, as he does his best to appear genuine and connect with his fans through these uploads. These candid moments can oftentimes get as many views as his gaming content, which says a lot about his fanbase.
Fernanfloo – 42.6M
The Salvadoran Luis Fernando Flores Alvardo has made a name for himself in the gaming community through his humorous content on YouTube. He started his channel in 2011 and has gained millions of followers since then.
Fernanfloo splits his time between YouTube and Twitch, however, with his channel uploads sometimes falling by the wayside. This obviously hasn’t become a problem for his YouTube channel’s growth, as fans are always eagerly awaiting his next hilarious Let’s Play and reaction videos for games like Resident Evil and Five Nights at Freddy’s.
JuegaGerman – 44M
Germán Alejandro Garmendia Aranis is a massively successful Chilean YouTuber who covers a wide array of games on his channel, JuegaGerman. He does humorous commentaries on popular games like The Last of Us 2, Far Cry 5, and Minecraft.
Fans know they can rely on JuegaGerman to be consistent with his uploads. Since starting his channel in 2013, the YouTuber hasn’t missed a beat, always uploading at least five videos every month. Combined with smart comedy and decent skills, it’s no surprise that JuegaGerman has become one of the most popular gaming YouTubers of all time.
PewDiePie – 110M
With a whopping 110 million subscribers, PewDiePie is the most popular gaming YouTube channel out there and is one of the most subscribed channels on the platform. Swedish content creator Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg started his gaming channel in 2010, growing it to become one of the most iconic pages in the gaming community.
PewDiePie pioneered a lot of the common formats found in gaming channels today. It seems that there’s no one specific thing that led to Felix’s massive success, as it was a combination of his Let’s Play-style videos, witty humor, consistency, and genuine gaming skills that propelled him to the top.